MOOSIC — Hours before Thursday’s game against Buffalo, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders’ scheduled starting pitcher Shane Greene was promoted to New York to help replace Yankees starting pitcher Michael Pineda, who on Wednesday was ejected for “possessing a foreign substance” — pine tar — on the right side of his neck and ultimately suspended 10 games on Thursday.

As a result, the RailRiders called upon reliever David Herndon to be the spot starter. Although he would be limited in his innings, the RailRiders were hoping he gave them just a little bit more.

Herndon gave up four runs on four hits and lasted just two innings. The RailRiders bats came alive late, scoring four runs in the ninth, but it wasn’t enough, as they fell to Buffalo, 6-5, in front of a crowd of 3,199 on a cold, windy night at PNC Field.

“Every Triple-A team goes through (last-minute call-ups),” manager Dave Miley said. “If the big club needs somebody, you have to do the best you can. It’s not the easiest thing to do. We gave up four runs early and tried to scratch back in the ninth.”

The RailRiders entered the night with a chance to grab a share of first place in the IL North Division. But they dug themselves in a hole pretty early on.

Former RailRider Dan Johnson started the second inning with a leadoff single to right and Kevin Pillar followed with a single to center. Matt Tuiasosopo then grounded into a fielder’s choice to second but beat the throw to give Buffalo runners on the corners with one out.

Steve Tolleson then walked to load the bases and Jared Goedert followed with an RBI single to right to give the Bisons a 1-0 lead.

After Mike Nickeas flew out, Anthony Gose ripped a line drive to right fielder Ramon Flores, whose first step was in, which proved to be costly. The ball went over his head and rolled to the wall, clearing the bases. Gose ended up on third with a triple and Buffalo took a 4-0 lead.

Darin Mastroianni then grounded out to short to end the inning and Herndon’s day.

Buffalo again had runners on the corners with one out in the third when Tuiasosopo hit a seemingly harmless grounder to pitcher Fred Lewis. But Pillar was stealing second on the play and Lewis looked there before his throw to first pulled Corban Joseph off the bag, scoring Getz.

Pillar was thrown out trying to advance to third, but the Bisons led, 5-0.

Buffalo added another run in the fourth as Gose scored on Getz’s two-out single to left.

The RailRiders got on the board in the sixth. After Scott Sizemore doubled with one out, Buffalo starter Liam Hendriks struck out Zoilo Almonte. Hendriks was then relieved by Mickey Storey.

But Storey struggled with his command, issuing four- and five-pitch walks to Adonis Garcia and Corban Joseph, respectively, to load the bases.

Storey then left the game with an apparent injury and was replaced by Ryan Tepera, who issued a walk to Ramon Flores to get the RailRiders back to within 6-1. But Tepera got Jose Pirela to strike out on three pitches to end the threat.

“After the second inning, we probably outplayed those guys,” center fielder Antoan Richardson said. “I think that it was a combination of good pitching and we played a little better defense and we started to put together a few good at-bats. But the thing is, we have to play a complete game.”

The RailRiders, who left 11 runners on base, got two runners on in the seventh and eighth innings, but came up empty-handed. But in the bottom of the ninth, they made things very interesting.

Carmen Angelini and Richardson led the inning off with back-to-back singles off of John Stilson and Sizemore followed with an RBI single to cut the Bisons lead to 6-2. Then Almonte, who had struck out three times already, ripped a three-run homer, his fourth of the year, into the right field bleachers to cut the deficit to one.

Stilson got Adonis Garcia to fly out before being relieved by Chad Jenkins, who got Joseph to fly out. Flores kept the inning alive with an infield single, but on the next pitch Jose Pirela popped out to second to end the threat and the game.

“It wasn’t like we didn’t have chances,” Miley said. “It was more scattered, hit-wise early on for us than it was in that last inning. We just couldn’t bunch the hits together and get a big hit.”

Contact the writer: shennigan@timesshamrock.com

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